Rory McIlroy battled the elements at Shinnecock Hills for a turbulent second round at the US Open.
His front nine was a near masterpiece given the circumstances, as the six-time major winner made the turn at three-under par, in a tie for second place. He stood on the 10th fairway with a wedge in hand, 80 yards to the pin, hoping to narrow the gap to the leading Wyndham Clark.
Instead, he bladed it over the green on his way to the first of three straight bogeys. He had to scratch and claw from there, recovering to shoot one over for the round, ending the day at even par.
Afterward, McIlroy shared the joke he told his caddie after making his three straight bogeys.
The joke Rory McIlroy told Harry Diamond on the 13th fairway
McIlroy is seven shots back of the leading Clark through 36 holes, but just three back of second place.
The reigning Masters champion said, “I just kept hitting it long. I hit a bad shot on 10. Felt like I hit a good shot on 11 after seeing Tommy and Ludvig come up short. Same thing on 12, where I came up over the back of the green.
“Just with the way the wind was. There was a lot of holes where it was mostly off the left or the right but if you got a switch one way or the other it made a huge difference.
“It was tough. I think our side of the draw played in the windiest of the conditions and the scores bared that out. I hung in there as best I could. Even par is not terrible. I am only three back of second but Wyndham Clark has built up a bit of a lead, so hopefully I will go out there tomorrow and keep playing the way I am playing.
“I am doing the right things. I made a couple of mistakes today which put me behind the eight ball a bit but a really solid two days.”
McIlroy’s distance control left him on the back nine, as he found himself long on nearly every green. The exception was the 13th, where he stuck his approach to within inches, hopping off the bogey train in style.
He shared what he told his caddie, Diamond, before making his best swing of the day: “I joked to Harry it was straight back into wind this one and I said at least there’s no chance of it going long this time.
“That was a great wedge shot [on 12], to stop the bleeding a bit and make a birdie and give me some momentum again.”
Why Rory McIlroy’s even par score is better than it looks
While he might be seven shots back of the lead, McIlroy’s even par score is far more impressive than it seems. He got the poor side of the draw, with the worst of the conditions on both days, but he’s still given himself a chance.
On Thursday, McIlroy’s morning wave endured the strongest winds of the day, as he battled through the howling wind.
The USGA softened the course on Friday, but by the time McIlroy took to the course in the afternoon, it had dried out, and was playing firmer than it has done all week.
Because of his score, this will flip on the weekend. McIlroy will play much earlier than the leaders, so he can post a score before it dries out completely, and hope Clark comes to him later in the day.
For that reason, he’s far from out of this.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
